Drinks when hiking?

[Lovefall]

What do you take to drink when you go hiking? My kids love that G2 – Gatorade but I like water. We take both. I want something that quenches your thirst but isn’t too sugary. I’ve seen some people take pop – Pop is not a hiking drink!

 

[Fox38]

Water, water and only water! We drink a ton of water in my house. I don't let the kids have sugary drinks - they get enough sugar in foods. I try to keep their drinks healthier. Of course we drink milk and other juice at home. We just take water on hikes though.

 

[oldsarge]

Same here, water big time. On occasion I'll add some type of sports drink powder to add some flavor. Now at the late night fire when I'm kickin back...maybe a little of the old J&B and a cigar.

 

[ponderosa]

Nothing is better to me than water from a good stream or spring. My husband very rarely drinks plain water anywhere; we carry gatorade powder and crystal lite for him. The gatorade actually comes in pretty handy when he is having trouble regulating his blood sugar (type 1 diabetic), and it's good to have a little along in any case to deal with potential electrolyte/dehydration issues. I dislike the taste of it immensely, but I remember one hot trail, that gatorade tasted soooo good. That was a good clue that I needed the electrolytes; as soon as I was rehydrated it tasted awful again.

 

[Refrigerator]

Same here, water big time. On occasion I'll add some type of sports drink powder to add some flavor. Now at the late night fire when I'm kickin back...maybe a little of the old J&B and a cigar.

J&B and a nice cigar is good.

 

[Grandpa]

Water for me but I usually mix a pint of poweraid or gatoraid during the day. Like Ponderosa, if it does taste good, I probably needed it. One day near the end of a 17 mile push, my water tasted blah, so I went to my powdered drink bag and all I could find was an old mre grape powder. Although I can tolerate real grape juice, the powder mixes are terrible, but I mixed this one anyway. Took a sip and couldn't put it down until it was all gone. Something in there was really needed.

 

[Lamebeaver]

I make my own sport drink mix with generic cool aid, salt, potasium and sugar. Tastes beter than most sport drinks, with less sugar. I find this useful when carying a heavy pack.

Hiking, it's usually just water.

 

[pastywhite]

Water while walking, Sailor Jerry at camp.

 

[jason]

Plain water 90% of the time. Every once in a while I'll mix in a small amount of Gatorade or something like that.

 

[Lorax]

Usually water, but the crystal lite packs are a backpacker's blessing when it comes to less than palatable filtered waters.

 

[catspa]

Gatorade, the original green kind, and lots of it. I used to drink Mountain Dew working construction, 2 or 3 cans a day, and when I quit I switched to Gatorade. I buy the powder and mix it about half the ratio they say (you know I'm a cheap b*stard, and it makes it last twice as long...) So when I buy it in a bottle it seems too strong.

I just like the color - yeah, that must be it.

I also carry a couple quarts of water though, for patient care and making soup or oatmeal or hot cocoa. Don't ever try to make your hot cocoa by mixing it into warm Gatorade, I can tell you that doesn't work.

Parker

 

[dinosaur]

I'm with the fridge but I prefer Glenfiddich. There's nothing like a good single malt.

 

[Pathfinder1]

What I drink?

I rarely trek very far,
when all around me parched people are.




Hi...


Just plain water from my household tap. In non-frigid weather I'll fill a 1-liter bottle 3/4 full and freeze it overnight. Then I top it off with tap water. I'm a bit of a cold water freak.

When necessary, I'll use 2-liter bottles or multiple bottles. I also carry a pint bottle on my belt for easy access.

 

[Theosus]

I'm with the fridge but I prefer Glenfiddich. There's nothing like a good single malt.

I have to get some of that, seeing as how I'm related to Mr. Grant -albeit distantly.
I wonder if it's available in mini bottles. Good hiking size.

I found that those propel water mixes take the edge off really nasty tasting water (even beach areas with that nasty desalinated stuff!). I assume something is in there to replace lost electrolytes.
How do most of you guys do it, just fill a smaller bottle from the camel bak and add the powder? I've been told never put anything but water in the camel bak itself.

 

[ponderosa]

We just add it straight to the camelbak (or other bladder). At home, we rinse it out well, and we always store the water bladders in the freezer. We never have any problems with them growing bugs or getting mildewy/stale/musty that way.
My favorite brand bladder is Ultimate Direction. The top opens completely, so it is very easy to wash and rinse, but we successfully use the rinse/freeze methods with other brands with narrow openings as well.

 

[IndianaHiker]

I drink very little water when walking. I know I should drink more.as I drink about half of what I am told I should. At camp or on breaks I drink Gator Aide.

 

[oldsarge]

I'm with the fridge but I prefer Glenfiddich. There's nothing like a good single malt.

Just picked up a bottle today, mighty good stuff I might add! Thanks for the recommendation!!!

 

[catspa]

How do most of you guys do it, just fill a smaller bottle from the camel bak and add the powder? I've been told never put anything but water in the camel bak itself.

Theosus, I don't have a camelback, but I do have a collection of bottles that I use. I find that putting the powder in first and then adding the water to it seems to make mixing easier.

I have both Nalgene and stainless steel bottles, and aluminum and plastic GI canteens, but the ones I like best are the 20 oz. Gatorade bottles with the orange twist-to-drink tops. They fit just right in mtn bike drink holders, and you can operate them with one hand without stopping.

Funny thing, the Gatorade quarts won't take those tops, and they're too big to fit in the console drink holders in either of my vehicles, so I buy quarts of Snapple ice tea or Powerade (which fit good) and mix Gatorade in those.

Parker

 

[Grandpa]

When backpacking, I do not use a bladder, preferring to drink out of bottles. I find I can monitor my intake much better with a bottle. I also carry some empty 1 liter pop bottles for camp duty. I find them much more convenient than my friends who use bladders. I like to drop my pack at breaks more often than most. Because my principle water source is on my belt rather than in pack, there is less chance of wandering away for a looksee and getting stranded without the water. (accident, etc.) If I am expecting long dry stretches, I also throw in a couple of 1/2 gallon plastic juice bottles. Some hikes, such as stretches on the Tonto trail in the Grand Canyon may require carrying up to 3 gallons of water between springs. A check with the Rangers usually lets me know what to expect but in the dry areas, I stay prepared to carry that much if necessary.

I also carry a couple of pint nalgene bottles. One is my "mix" bottle for powdered drinks, hot chocolate, etc. I fill half way, add the powder, then shake well. Half full gives the liquid room to mix better than full. After shaking I add the rest of the liquid. The nalgene works well with both hot and cold. For general flavoring, the great value packets at Walmart work well. If I feel the need for more energy, I prefer poweraid or gatoraid but also carry some stronger stuff like FSR's packets. Basically, I let my body tell me which would be best.

 

[ejdixon]

Water mostly, but during really hot days, I find a bit of Gatorade can be really helpful. At night, after hiking, a good cup of coffee or hot choco.